Castle Rock’s Continental Divide Raceways

From its opening day in 1959, Continental Divide Raceways near Castle Rock was one of the top-ranked race tracks in the West.

Owner Sid Langsam, a Denver millionaire, built the raceway to accomodate “almost anything that runs on wheels.” This included stock cars, sports cars, motorcycles and dragsters.

Jim Nelson of Carlsbad, Calif. making a trial run in a new Pontiac-powered Dragmaster Straight Arrow at Continental Divide Raceways. July 28, 1961. Denver Post File Photo

By 1968, Langsam and track manager George Fabry had improved the facility to the point that the U.S. Auto Club included it on the Indy-car schedule. The Rocky Mountain 150 ran for the first time on July 7, 1968. A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Gordon Johncock were among the drivers. A.J. Foyt was the winner.

Langsam closed Continental Divide Raceways in early 1973 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Among the final events of the 1972 season was an hourlong “spectacular” that included Evel Knievel jumping 10 parked cars on a motorcycle.

According to the Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum, the track reopened but closed again in 1979 after an accident killed a driver and a person in a pit lane. The track remained closed for two years, then opened in 1981 for motorcycle racing.